Mission Statement: To provide direction in the delivery of ELD programs based on rigorous standards to English Language Learners and to provide quality professional development opportunities while providing ongoing support to teachers.

ELD Instructional Matrix Format
 

To begin the process of aligning Standards to instruction, it was necessary to have an overview of the Standards and how they would ensure student success.

The Matrix is organized by grade spans and ELD proficiency levels:

• Grade spans: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12. Each grade span is further divided into the domains of language: listening and speaking, reading, and writing.

• • ELD Proficiency Levels: Beginning, Early Intermediate, Intermediate, Early Advanced, and Advanced.

Each page of the Matrix is divided into columns which are: (1) ELD Level; (2) ELA Substrands/Standards and ELD standards; (3) Assessment and Monitoring; (4) Instructional and/or Management Strategies; and ( 5) Instructional Materials.

In order to make the Matrix a functional tool, each district should insert the appropriate information in the (3) Assessment and Monitoring and (5) Instructional Materials columns.

 

Description of Language Proficiency Levels

ELD Proficiency Level Descriptions

Acquiring another language is a developmental process; consequently, the standards display patterns of language development which range from the student’s initial contact with formal instruction in English to the point at which their use of English is comparable to that of their native English-speaking peers. The standards are organized by language proficiency level, then by grade span. ELLs enter California schools and begin the process of learning English at any grade level. There are distinctions in the activities indicating ELD progress.

The ELD Standards are designed to develop communicative competence in English. It should be noted that each proficiency level description encompasses the many aspects of language proficiency such as grammar, fluency, functions, pronunciation, and syntax that contribute to overall proficiency in English.

Beginning Proficiency Level

ELLs at the Beginning Level of English language proficiency demonstrate dramatic growth. They progress from having little or no receptive or productive English skills to possessing a basic use of English. Students at the Beginning Level are able to:

• comprehend high-frequency words and basic phrases in immediate physical concrete surroundings
• produce learned words and phrases
• use gestures to communicate basic needs
• interact with frequently-used English print in a limited fashion
• demonstrate initial English print awareness
• write familiar words and phrases
• demonstrate understanding of familiar words, phrases, and questions drawn from content areas
• follow classroom routines and schedules
• express basic personal and safety needs
• respond to questions with one-to-two word answers and gestures
• demonstrate and use basic social conventions

Early Intermediate Proficiency Level

ELLs at the Early Intermediate Level of English language proficiency start to respond to more varied communication tasks with learned material and increasing ease. Students at the Early Intermediate Level are able to:

• comprehend a sequence of information on familiar topics as presented through stories and face-to-face conversations
• produce basic statements
• ask questions in direct informational exchanges on familiar and routine subjects
• interact with a variety of familiar print as part of a group
• recognize words and phrases from previously learned material
• write basic personal information and short responses within structured contexts
• use high-frequency vocabulary drawn from other content areas
• express basic personal and safety needs
• respond to questions and simple phrases
• participate in simple face-to-face conversations with peers and others

 

Intermediate Proficiency Level

ELLs at the Intermediate Level of English language proficiency begin to refashion learned material to meet their immediate communication and learning needs. Students at the Intermediate Level are able to:

• comprehend information on familiar topics in contextualized settings
• produce sustained conversation with others on a variety of general topics
• interact independently with a variety of simplified print
• write basic information and expanded responses in contextualized settings
• comprehend main ideas and basic concepts in content areas
• express a variety of personal and safety needs
• respond to questions using short sentences
• initiate simple conversations with English speakers outside of school

 

Early Advanced Proficiency Level

ELLs at the Early Advanced Level of English language proficiency begin to utilize the English language in more complex, cognitively-demanding situations and to use English as a means for learning in other academic areas. Students at the Early Advanced Level are able to:

• comprehend detailed information with fewer contextual clues on unfamiliar topics
• produce, initiate, and sustain spontaneous language interactions using circumlocution when necessary
• interact with increasingly complex written material while relying on context and prior knowledge to obtain meaning from print
• write to satisfy limited social and academic needs through the recombination of learned vocabulary and structures
• participate actively in all content areas
• express more complex feelings, needs, and opinions using extended oral and written production
• participate actively in non academic settings requiring English

 

Advanced Proficiency Level

ELL students at the Advanced Level of English language proficiency communicate effectively with various audiences on a wide range of familiar and new topics to meet social and academic demands. In order to attain the English proficiency level of their native English-speaking peers, further linguistic enhancement and refinement are necessary. Students at the Advanced level are able to:

• comprehend concrete and abstract topics and recognize language subtleties in a variety of communicative settings
• produce, initiate and sustain extended interactions tailored to specific purposes and audiences
• read, with a limited number of comprehension difficulties, grade-level written material
• write to meet most social needs and academic demands for specific purposes and audiences
• participate fully in all content areas at grade level
• express and satisfy personal and safety needs in a wide variety of settings
• participate fully in non-academic settings requiring English